Trace-carrier



(No Model.)

B. F. STEVENS.

TRACE CARRIER. I No. 326,802. Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

. WITNESSES N. FETEm Photo-Ll hcgnphnr With: 5!

PATENT BARNARD FIELD STEVENS, OF SCOTIA, NEBRASKA.

TRACE-CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,802, dated$eptember 22, 1885.

Application filed July 11, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARNARD F. STEvENs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Scotia, in the county of Greely and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Carriers; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghadto the accompanying d rawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which Figure 1 is a perspective "iew of a portion of a set ofharness provided with my improved trace-carrier. Fig. 2 is a similarview, on an enlarged scale, of the carrier detached; and Fig. 3 is adetail View of a slight modification in the snap-hook.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to trace carriers; and it consists in theimproved construction and combination of parts of a trace carrier, whichat the same time fills the function of a buckle for uniting the back,crupper, hip, and spreader straps, as hereinafter more fully describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the main frame ofthe carrier, which frame may be either rectangular or oblong, as shownin the drawings, and the forward portion of this frame forms a bail, B,for the attachment of the back-strap 0, while the rear end of the frameforms a bail, D, for the attachment of the crupper-strap E. At the sidesof the frame are bails or loops F F, for the attachment of the hipstraps G and spreader-straps H, thus making the frame the point of unionfor all the parts of the harness which are supported upon the rump ofthe horse. The snap-hooks J are composed of the hook portions I and thesnaps M. 'The parts I can be bent upward at their middle, as shown, andsecured to the frame A by being bent partly around it, so as to clamp itsecurely, and the parts K are then formed by being bent upward andoutward, as shown at L, so as to form an easy and con- (No model.)

venient point of attachment for the cockeyes of the trace. Thespring-tongues M M of the snap -hooks are secured to the upper bentportions of the hooks, and their free ends bear against the inner sidesof the upwardlycurved outer ends of the hooks, and are curved slightlydownward, as shown at N, so as to allow the cockeyes to pass freelybetween them and the upturned ends of the hooks; or they may bebifurcated, as shown at Q, Fig. 3. A wide bail, O, is secured at itsends, slightly forward of the hooks, to the sides of the frame, andprojects slightly above the upper sides of the hooks, serving as aguard-bail to prevent the reins from becoming caught in the hooks, andtwo converging and upwardly and forwardly curved guardstrips, P P, aresecured to the rear portion of the frame, projecting over the middles ofthe snap-hooks, serving as guards for the tail of the horse, preventingit from being caught in the hooks. In this manner it will be seen that Ihave constructed a tracecarrier which unites all the pieces of theharness meeting above the hip of the horse, which has hooks into whichand from which the cockeyes of the traces may be easily inserted orremoved, and which has guards which prevent the reins, the tail of thehorse, or any other object from becoming caught in the hooks.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. A tracecarrier having snap-hookssecured near its middle portion, said hooks consisting of the portion I,curved upward at its middle, and having the upward bent ends K, and theintermediate portion bent so as to clasp the frame A, and the snap M,the ends of which are slightly curved and secured intermediately to thebent portion of the part I, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination of the carrier frame having the bail at its rear endfor the crupperstrap, the bail at its forward end for the backstrap, andthe bails or loops at its sides for the hip-straps and spreader-straps,the snap hooks secured with their inner ends together,

and having their outer portions secured to I In testimony that Iclaimthe foregoing as 10 the sides of the carrier-frame, a wide guardmy own Ihave hereunto affixed my signature bail secured with its ends to thesides of the in presence of two witnesses.

carrier-frame forward of the snap-hooks, and projecting slightly abovethe upper sides of BARNARD FIELD'STEVENS. the same, and the convergingand united forwardly and upwardly curved guard-strips se- Witnesses:

cured t0 the rear end of the carrier-frame, as and for the purpose shownand set forth.

T. P. LANIGAN, J. M. MAASH; x

